The Best Kind of Friend
by Matilda Suzanne
Summary: Alan of Pirate's Swoop would do anything for his best friends, Prince Jasson and Lianne, no matter what the consequences.
1. Hiding and Planning

Alan walked down the hall quickly and quietly, hoping to avoid certain people- namely his parents, godparents, or anyone else in a position to give him something to do. With the foreign ambassadors all arriving for the feast that evening, undoubtedly if he were spotted he would be forced to socialize with some of the more unfriendly delegates- like the Scanrans or the Sarens. Because of course, the King's Champion and her family had to talk to everyone, and Alan was the only one in the family who had not inherited the Lioness' famous temper. In fact, he thought sourly as he ducked down a neglected staircase, he had unfortunately not inherited a temper at all; a trait which everyone seemed to think made him perfect for talking to enemies of state.

When Alan reached the stables, he quickly checked to make sure no one was watching and then slipped into the hiding place between the walls he and his friends had discovered so long ago. He sighed with relief, finally alone.

"Hello Alan! I didn't think you'd be here for hours yet. I was sure you could put up with it all until lunch time at least." A voice greeted him. Or not alone, Alan thought wryly. Turning to see his two best friends, Jasson and Lianne playing cards on the floor.

"Then you don't know me very well, Jay. How long have you two been here? Your parents will be furious when they find out that you shirked social duties." He replied as he joined them on the floor.

"On the contrary, the Sarens are after Annie- they think since Mother has a legitimate claim to the throne and the love of the K'mir, Annie can help keep their new king in power. When Sir Myles told Father about it, his reaction went something like; 'Over my dead body will my daughter marry the mentally unstable dictator of a country that's been having a civil war for decades and are still going strong. But Uncle Gary convinced him that it wouldn't be a good idea to tell them that, so Father told me to keep Annie out of sight for as long as possible."

"Of course, as long as possible is only until the ball this evening," Lianne added gloomily. "And then they'll have it all worked out so that the only people I'll dance with, talk with, and eat with all evening will be Sarens."

Alan watched her tuck a chestnut curl behind her ear, hating the uncomfortable feeling he got when thinking about Annie dancing with tons of men. 'She's your best friend's sister. You shouldn't care how many people she dances with.' He told himself, but he did care, he had for over a year. He put his hand through his hair and moaned.

"This day just gets better and better. We've got a ball, and we have to be diplomatic, and the Sarens are after Annie, and my mother's here, and our friends are all lovesick…" He complained.

"Who's lovesick? And for whom?" Lianne asked curiously.

"Everybody." Jasson rolled his eyes. "Alfred of Veldine and Cormack of Wellam and Linus of Meron- just everybody."

"And for whom?" Lianne repeated insistently. Jasson met Alan's eyes over her head. They both knew which dark haired, blue eyed beauty the squires were pining for. They stuttered and stalled, and then Alan had it.

"That's it! The Sarens will want to swamp Annie, so we'll have to swamp her quicker and better. There's not a squire who wouldn't help us make sure the Princess doesn't get to ever dance or speak with any foreigners all evening."

"Brilliant! You stay with Annie and I'll go recruit." Jasson leaped up and ran off.

"Thank you, Alan." Annie said smiling at him.

"Oh, no problem." He mumbled, his heart skipping a beat. "Do you want to go for a ride?"

"Yes!" she agreed, standing up and dusting off her skirts. "But it won't be much of a ride, I'm afraid, because I'll have to go sidesaddle."

"It'll be fine. It's a beautiful day."

"That it is."


	2. The Ball part I

Alan, Jasson, and eight other young Knights huddled together in the hall. They were all wearing the colors of their home fiefs, except Jasson, who wore royal blue and silver, and, to his profound disgust, a crown.

"Do you think we'll get in trouble for doing this?" Alfred asked nervously. They all looked expectantly at Jasson, but it was Alan who spoke.

"Well, that just depends how subtle we are, doesn't it? And if we do get in trouble, just say it was Jay's idea."

"But it was your idea!" Jasson protested.

"That doesn't mean I can't blame you!" Alan grinned. "Come on, we have to get there before the princess. Cormack, you're going to escort her in?"

"I can't!" the skinny blond boy squeaked. "I told my sister that the reason I couldn't escort her was because I was infatuated with the princess and I had to get her to notice me. She thought it was so funny she wasn't even mad. But she'll know I was lying if I escort the princess in, because then she's obviously already noticed me, right?"

"Oh, well. Just remember that when push comes to shove, it's better for your sister to know you were lying then for Lianne to have to talk to the Sarens." Alan sighed. "So who's going to take her in? Whoever does it has to be on their toes, because that person has to run interference until the dancing starts, which includes all of dinner. And Jay can't do it because he has to escort her out when we think we can't keep the plan going anymore."

"Why?" Alfred asked, puzzled. Of course, Alfred was always puzzled.

"Because it would be scandalous for one of us to escort the princess to bed, dimwit." Linus answered scathingly.

"Alan will do it, he's the son and grandson of Tortall's spymasters, he ought to be able to manage it." Jasson announced decisively, shepherding the boys into the ballroom, ignoring Alan's protests. Alan sighed and went off to meet Lianne. Of course he got stuck with the hard job. Dutiful, calm, patient Alan would never complain or get mad. 'Serves you right for being such a doormat.' He muttered.

"What was that?" Alan swung around. And gaped at the girl behind him. She was wearing pure white, with silver embroidery, a pretty silver locket, and silver ribbons in the chestnut hair curling down her back. "Please tell me you haven't hit your head or something, my future may rely on your ability to think quickly tonight!" She teased.

"Annie? Goddess, you look grown up!"

"Well, I am seventeen! You've grown up, too, you know. I remember when you couldn't tie your own bootlaces and now you're a knight." She smiled and tucked her arm in his. "Are you ready for this, O Great Protector of the Realm?"

"I'm ready for anything, O Exquisite Specimen of Female Perfection."

"Oh Alan, that was terrible" She giggled, as they walked through the door. "Yours was at least partly true."

"So was yours. You're not perfect, of course. But you're beautiful. And female" He added thoughtfully.

"Oh, I'm so glad you noticed." Lianne replied, putting a polite smile on her face as they began to circulate the room- strategically, of course, so that they would not cross the path of any Sarens. They skillfully avoided confrontation until dinner, when they managed to sit next to Thom and Sir Keladry, who were discussing the logistics of testing the children of New Hope for the gift.

Lianne and Alan listened to their conversation, bemused at Thom's boundless interest in all things magical.

"Honestly, "Alan confided in Lianne's ear, as they walked from the dining hall back to the ballroom, "I'm eternally grateful my gift's so ordinary, or loving elder brother or not Thom would never leave me any peace. You should hear him with Daine. Mother had to ban him from speaking with her about anything having to do with magic."

"Do you remember when Uncle Numair was teaching us about Wild magic and how it worked, and Thom thought that if their was Animal magic there must also be earth magic and people magic? Uncle Numair turned purple contemplating all the new branches of study Thom had opened up with just one suggestion."

"Because, of course, in terms of theory, Thom was right on." Alan smiled. "You were sleeping in Aly's room, and this happened after lights out so you weren't there, but later that night he was talking about how if there were those two kinds of magic that no one had found yet then there could be more, as well. Roald told us not to repeat any of that though, or we'd give Uncle a heart attack."

"And Thom listened?"

"Well, Uncle's fine, isn't he? I think Thom just put it aside for later. He never forgets a good idea." They reached the ballroom and walked out onto the dance floor, ready to open the ball with the King and Queen and the Princes and their partners.

"Here we go…" Lianne whispered. And Alan squeezed her hand.

_I'll finish the ball in the next chapter; I just don't want this one to get too long. I'm sorry it's so fluffy; my excuse is that I'm character building. Thanks to Mystic Fire Demon for being my first reviewer ever- this is my first fanfic. I'm more into writing original stories._


	3. The Ball part II

"Okay Annie, We've got to get near enough to Uncle Gary so that we can go straight to him without anyone intercepting us. Alfred should be there to ask you for the next dance. That won't be suspicious, of course, because Uncle was Alfred's knight master, so naturally he'd spend some of the ball talking to him. Now, Alfred's likely to forget the plan, so you'll have to know the next bit. When you're dancing with Alfred it'll be a line dance, so it'll be difficult to get into a specific position. So as soon as it finishes, you head straight for the King and Queen. Everyone will expect you to greet them at some point, so no one will stop you on the way. Cormack will meet you there and ask you for the next dance, but you'll ask for a break to talk to your parents, then you dance the next with him. That'll buy some time." Alan explained as quietly as possible, while trying to keep himself facing Linus, who was keeping track of how much time they had to get into position.

"What excuse does Cormack have for hanging out by my parents?" Lianne asked, moving a little closer to Alan to be heard.

"He's infatuated with you."

"What!" Lianne yelped. She looked up at Alan in shock. He laughed.

"No, I mean that's what he told his sister so he wouldn't have to escort her in, so he's going to use that as his excuse. Jay is going to be standing with your parents, and Cormack will come up to him, and beg- just loudly enough for your parents and a couple of other people to overhear- for Jay, as his friend, to introduce him to you because he is so enamored. Jay will laugh and tell him to stick around and he'll introduce you when you come to greet your parents."

"Oh, that's brilliant. What happens next?" She asked.

"You don't need to know. Cormack is capable of remembering the plan. And wouldn't you rather be surprised? Look sharp now, the dance is ending, remember what to do?" Lianne looked at him witheringly.

"I, like Cormack, am capable of remembering a plan."

"Sorry." Alan grinned at her. "I forgot you weren't a helpless maiden for a minute there."

"If you did any such thing I would never forgive you. You of all people should know I am not helpless. So stop teasing. If I dance with someone not involved- like Roald, or your father, will it mess up your plan?"

"Well, don't screw up anything I already told you about, but after that we can adjust if necessary." They spun one final time before the music ceased and the dance ended. Alan took her arm and led her over to Duke Gareth the Younger, who was, impressively, only a few feet away. There Alfred joined them and then, as planned, led her off for the next dance.

Alan excused himself from the Duke and retreated to a corner of the ballroom good for observing. After reassuring himself that everyone was in position, he settled down to watch his plan unfold. His part was done, but it was extremely amusing to watch the other squires foil all the attempts of the Sarens to even get near Annie. And, just as he had predicted, after four or five near escapes others began to catch on. His father, grandfather, brother, Prince Roald, and even the King realized what was going on and began to help. And with such varied partners the Sarens never realized that the princess's popularity was orchestrated. Alan sat back with a sigh of satisfaction; when, at midnight, Jasson led Lianne, feigning extreme fatigue, out of the room.

"I assume that you, and not my son, were the mastermind behind this?" A deep voice interrupted his reverie. Alan grinned up at the King.

"Behind what, Sire?" He asked innocently. The King smiled and reached down to pat him on the shoulder.

"You're a good boy. Although, not such a boy, anymore, are you? I think what you did tonight- don't deny it- is only one example of your character. Did you know there is a post called the Knight Protector whose sole job it is to protect the heirs to the throne? There hasn't been one for a while, mostly because there haven't been more then two heirs at a time for a while, but I think it's a post ripe for revival, no?" Alan regarded the king with growing confusion.

"Sire? What do you mean…?" He stuttered.

"We can't just give you the job of course, because all the things you do for my children- like this, and like helping Liam overcome his fear of horses- and yes, I knew about that- were all quiet, private things, and you're to young for us to give it to you without a reason- you're younger then two of my children, even. But we'll find a reason, and I'm telling you- in confidence of course- that you are now the Knight Protector. Now go to bed, it's late." The King gave his shoulder a final pat and walked away, leaving Alan stunned.

"The Knight Protector…" he whispered, digesting the great honor and responsibility behind the appointment. After a moment, he smiled. "I swear to do this duty to the best of my ability." He vowed, so only he could hear.


	4. Knight Protector

Alan woke at dawn and went down to the practice courts. He began to exercise with his sword. Swordplay always helped him to relax, he thought it had something to do with the fact that he had been watching his mother do it as long as he could remember. He did it now so he could contemplate his new job. Obviously, his real duty was to protect Jasson, Lianne, and Liam. Roald was a knight and already under as much protection as the king could give him him without suffocating him. Kalasin was Carthak's responsibility- no longer an heir to the throne of Tortall. Jasson he would just stay close to, try to be there when he was in danger. They were both knights and best friends, so that wasn't the tricky part. Liam was a page and would be all right as long as he was a page- the only issue would be makng sure his knightmaster didn't take him into danger. 'I'll talk to Raoul or my mother about it.' Alan thought. 'Or I could take him myself.' The idea occuring to him suddenly. He pushed it aside to consider the real problem.

"Annie… Annie, Annie, Annie… how am I going to protect you…" he murmured.

"Talking to yourself, brother dear?" Alan spun around to see Thom propped up on a pillar.

"I'm cracking under the pressure." Alan began to clean his sword, waiting for the returning wisecrack.

"That wasn't completely untrue." Thom said, grin fading "What's worrying you, Alan?" Alan considered spinning a story about the pressures of being a knight, or even telling Thom anout his feelings for Lianne, but then he remembered all the times Thom had woken him from nightmares, stuck up for him when Aly took advantage of his compliant nature, comforted him when he was anxious about their mother in battle. He decided to tell the truth.

"The King made me the Knight Protector last night." He said sliding down the pillar to sit.

"Goddess, Alan. What an honor. Keeping it quiet until he can think of an excuse?" Alan nodded, glad for once that Thom was a so sharp. Thom whistled and sat down next to Alan. "Well, I can see why he did it. You're always watching out for them anyway. You might as well have the authority to do it right. That was brilliant last night, by the way." Alan smiled faintly.

"How am I going to protect her, Thom? And without anyone knowing I'm doing it?" Thom looked at Alan sharply, and Alan realized he'd said her, not them. He tried to cover.

"I… I…"

"Don't bother. I've known for ages anyway. To answer your question, I think you need to do two things. You need to go to the King and get him to promise to let you see the minutes of the council meetings, in case theres information in them that will help you. If you were officially knight protector you would have access to that anyway, because you would be equal in rank to the King's champion- or just below. You also need to find out who you can tell. It would be really helpful to have Grandfather and Raoul know, for example."

"What's the second thing?"

"You need to tell Annie how you feel." Alan stiffened.

"No, I don't, Thom. That's not part of the job." He said angrily.

"No, that was a bit of sage advice from big brother to little brother. Seriously, Alan, I'm no expert, but I think you'd be happier if you did." He patted Alan's shoulder. "Think about, at least?"

"Yeah, I will." Alan said, agreeing almost autimatically, he was so accustomed to not arguing. "Thanks, Thom. I'll go to the King now."

"Any time, little brother." Thom grinned and got up.

"You could stop calling me that, now that I'm bigger then you." Alan grumbled.

"Never!" Thom laughed as he walked away. Alan sighed and got up. He sheathed his sword and headed towards the King's study when he got there he was surprised to see that the King was the only one there.

"Reconsidering your post already, Alan?" The King asked cheerfully.

"I need to see council minutes and all other information I would have access to if my post was public. And I need to know who I can tell- ask for assistance." Alan sat down in the chair opposite the King and hid his shock at his audacity. 'You are an adult. A knight with a very important position. You are not out of line.' He told himself. He looked up at the King, who was beaming.

"I knew you were ready for this job. Well done, Alan, I didn't expect you to settle in so quickly. I will have the council minutes given to you after every meeting, and you can tell people at your discretion. You do not need to get my approval for any measures you decide to take. You are the Knight Protector in full capacity, we're just keeping it quiet." Alan nodded.

"Thank you sire. Would you please tell me everything that's happening with Lianne and the Sarens?" The king sighed.

"Lianne- well, all of my children, have a legitimate claim to the throne of Sarain. As Thayet's children, they also have the support of the K'mir. The latest King and his supporters think they'll be able to keep the throne if Lianne is the queen. As a father I want to tell them to get lost and never let them into the country again. As a king I have to consider that the fact that these Sarens want the support of the K'mir instead of just to slaughter them might mean that they will be able to turn things around in Sarain- with my daughter's help. Peace in Sarain- I might have to make a terrible decision, Alan." The King put his head in his hands.

"Lianne will never be safe in Sarain, your majesty. So I'm telling you now that I will do everything I can to stop her going, screw peace in Sarain. As Knight Protector, I will kidnap her, get Thom to jinx her, fake her death- anyhting to keep her in Tortall." Alan stood up and made to leave.

"You're in love with her." The King said, amazed.

"Am I that obvious?" Alan ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "Thom told me this morning he's known for ages."

"She won't see it. But you're not hiding it very well to those who know. I'd say it won't be long before all you "aunts and uncles", and your parents know, and one of them might tell her."

"Thom thinks I should tell her."

"Thom is a very intelligent young man."

"You don't mind?" Alan asked.

"I approve wholeheartedly. But if you break her heart. I'll have to fire you as Knight Protector." Alan looked the king in the eye.

"I would never hurt her." He said softly, as he left.


	5. Squire

"Alan?" Alan turned around in his chair to see Liam in his doorway. "Will you tilt with me? I need some practice."

"Practice? You're good at tilting." Alan frowned, putting his pen down. Glad as he was to escape from the Trebond accounts, they were his responsibility, had been since his eighteenth birthday, when his parents had made him legal Lord of Trebond, just as they had done for Thom with Olau when he was eighteen.

"Not good enough" Liam mumbled, looking down at his feet. Alan watched him thoughtfully for a moment.

"The reason no knightmaster has chosen you is because of the situation with Sarain. They are afraid that they will not be able to keep you safe and they are absolutly terrified of what will happen if they can't. It has nothing to do with your tilting ability." He said quietly.

"How did you- oh, never mind." He shut the door and sprawled on Alan's bed. "So no one's going to choose me?"

"Raoul and my mother have only ever taken one squire- well, two in Raoul's case- each, but neither of them would hesitate to take if they realized what the problem was. The difficulty is, protecting you is a very big responsibility, and they've got enough on their plates. You could of course, go with a desk knight, like Uncle Gareth or my grandfather Myles, but you don't want that do you?"

"No." Liam sat up. "Is there another option?"

"I could take you. I'm young, of course, but your father took my mother when he was equally young and she turned out fine. And as for the danger- well, I protect you anyway." Alan picked up his pen and twirled it in his fingers. Liam didn't say anything right away.

"So you're asking me?"

"Well, I think I better talk to your father first, but you can stop worrying. Now, as much I would like to tilt with you, I really have to do these accounts." He turned back around and pulled the pile of papers towards him. A moment later, he sighed. "If you're going to be my Squire, you're going to have to learn how to obey me, Liam."

"You never actually ordered me to leave. And- could you write a letter, since you're busy? I'll take it to my father. Please?" Alan shook his head and laughed.

"All right, all right, I can see I'm not going to have any peace until I do." He wrote a brief letter and gave it to Liam. He looked out the window briefly before getting back to work. Every time he did something for his new job he felt a little older. 'Well' He thought, 'older isn't so terrible, if it's older and wiser'.

Alan straightened his tunic, taking one final glance in the mirror before heading down to the Council ball. Trebond was an original fief, so he had to go. He nearly drew his sword when someone pulled his sleeve just outside his door.

"Goddess! You scared me!" he shouted, then looked down. "Oh, Annie…"

"Escort me to the ball?"

"Sure." She took his arm and they started down the hall.

"So, I heard that you have a squire."

"He wore me down. You know me- utterly incapable of saying no" He grumbled.

"You did it to take care of him." She said softly.

"I did. I take care of you too, Annie."

"I know you do."

"Which is why I would like you to join Liam and me for morning weapons practice. I understand completely your decision to go to the convent- I, of anybody, should know what it's like to not want to make waves. But these are dangerous times, and you should be able to defend yourself."

"You don't have to do this."

"Your father has made me Knight Protector."

"Oh." Lianne sounded both surprised and dissapointed.

"But, of course, I would do it anyway. Will you come?" He asked, watching her carefully.

"Oh, of course I will." They reached the ballroom, and as they separated, Alan spoke again.

"and Annie-"

"Yes?"

"Save me a dance?"

"I will always save a dance for you.


End file.
